Ford Announces to Unveil the Next Autonomous Car Model

The new, second-gen self-driving Ford Fusion Hybrid will debut this week at CES and will go on display the next month, at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show.

Among a host of automakers who’ve been spending big on self-driving vehicles development, Ford is one notable player. The company’s very first Fusion Hybrid autonomous research vehicle hit the roads three years ago and now, they have a new version of it due for the launch at the beginning of the New Year and lined up for sale by 2021. The latest model – Ford Fusion Hybrid will reportedly have everything that the company has learned over the past three years.

The new prototype is an upgraded version of the older sedan and will have super advanced sensors along with an exclusive proprietary software and enhanced computing power. The proprietary software is meant to virtually enable the car to think about itself and head to roads accordingly. Moreover, sensors in this new model are based on an advanced technology and will help the vehicle see the road. The data gathered by these sensors will be processed by computers, and the software employed for this function has been developed in-house by Ford.

Ford’s first fleet of 10 self-driving Ford Fusions was entirely based on its 2013 version of the original hybrid sedan. The company recently finished the development of 30 self-driving Ford Fusion sedans in a test fleet. This count is expected to triple by 2017 end, as per the reliable sources. Ford recently announced to develop a fully autonomous car by August 2017, which will possibly begin sales in 2021. Unlike the whole pack of automakers who consider self-driving cars development as a complex multistep process, Ford believes that it should be a long leap taken all at once.

Apart from Ford’s self-driving hybrid sedan, one of the uniquely outfitted Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid autonomous minivans by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is expected to make its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas this week. CES is rapidly becoming the biggest platform for automakers who desire to unveil their latest vehicle models based on self-driving car technology. In addition, the show also allows the debut of latest automotive digital offerings and car infotainment systems.